Quantcast

French Government Falls Again – 5th Prime Minister in Two Years Exits Following No Confidence Vote

The parliamentary government in France has once again collapsed, and right now no one knows exactly what is going to happen.  Prime Minister François Bayrou’s minority government has been taken down following a 364-194 parliamentary vote of no confidence.

(L-R) Prime Minister François Bayrou, President Emmanuel Macron

Increasingly, French political groups are now calling for French President Emmanuel Macron to resign and reorganize with new elections.  However, at this moment no one is sure what steps will come next.

FRANCE – PARIS — French lawmakers toppled Prime Minister François Bayrou’s minority government on Monday evening, thrusting the country deeper into a political crisis that will force President Emmanuel Macron to name a fifth premier in less than two years.

Three hundred and sixty four lawmakers voted to oust Bayrou, while 194 supported him. Macron’s office hasn’t said whether he will speak tonight.

(more…)

Prime Minister Mark Carney Announces Canadian Troops Will Be on Ground in Ukraine

Two significant shifts for Canadians appear to come out of the recent tour of Europe as highlighted today by Prime Minister Mark Carney.

The first development is the formal declaration that Canada has joined the “coalition of the willing”, along with the U.K, France and Germany.  The second announcement is that Canadian troops will join the coalition of the willing and put boots on the ground in Ukraine, as part of the coalition’s security guarantees for Ukraine.  WATCH: Prompted

Additionally, at the 33:00-minute point, Mark Carney discusses the Canadian effort to prepare for the USMCA renegotiations.

(more…)

Chancellor Friedrich Merz Says He’s Now Planning for a Long War in Ukraine

The background issues highlight the inevitability of the latest developments.  Before talking specifically about Ukraine, let’s first consider the individual parties within the so-called “coalition of the willing,” Great Britain, France and Germany.

All three major European economies are in trouble, along with the aggregate economy in Brussels which is heavily influenced by Germany, France and Italy.

Within Great Britain, Prime Minister Kier Starmer is in a hot mess. “Starmer faces populists both left and right, with Brexit veteran Nigel Farage’s Reform UK consistently ahead in the polls. Inflation has ticked up. Unpopular tax rises loom. Starmer’s backbenchers are nervous about planned welfare cuts and reforms for children with special needs. And migrants keep arriving on small boats across the English Channel.” {link}

In France, Emmanuel Macron is in the worst political shape of his tenuous career.  Another no confidence manuever has backfired against the current French government. “In an Ifop poll conducted after [Prime Minister] Bayrou’s address, 63 percent of respondents said they were in favor of going back to the ballot box, with that figure getting to 86 percent among National Rally voters.” {link} The issues around French politics are now too vast for the Ukraine effort to hide them.

Within Germany things are not much better.  The economy is contracting, and Chancellor Merz is in the dubious position of cutting subsidy benefits in order to address the problem. “During Sunday’s interview Merz defended his coalition’s historic decision to loosen the debt brake on defense spending — made possible by an unexpected U-turn by Merz’s conservatives right after the election — and even went so far as to link it to NATO’s survival. “We were essentially able to preserve NATO with our decision,” he said.” {link}

(more…)

Deep State in US and EU Gnash Teeth and Criticize Trump Administration for Not Attacking Russia

Like pathetic children who demand that Daddy Trump step into the chaos and punch Russian Federation President Vladimir Putin in the face, the EU leaders admit to media they coordinated and collaborated on using social media to decry the latest missile attacks from Russia.

According to their staff, who reported to Politico, the intent of the EU social media firestorm was to influence President Donald Trump.  Think about how pathetic that is in substance.

The Presidents, Prime Ministers and Commissars of the EU collective couldn’t pick up the phone to call President Trump and discuss their position.  No, instead their best approach, as organized by the group, was to take to social media and protest.

These are not serious people.

A second European official confirmed that the morning messages were an effort to influence Trump’s thinking, although the person was not optimistic that the attacks would lead Trump to ratchet up the economic pressure on Putin.”  {link} The discussion of conflict that began as ‘World War Reddit’, has now devolved even further and becomes a messaging war on teh Twitter.  Yeah, these are not serious people.

I am reminded of how the White House initially responded to the beginning of the conflict in February 2022:

I said at the time, “Singh’s remarks outlining the view of the ‘West’ toward defeating Russia are eloquent yet batshit crazy in their ideological context. Daleep Singh sounds like the senior head of a Google Human Resources operation telling the department heads how they need to convey their feelings in order to hire the talent for continued growth in the industry.”

Deputy National Security Advisor Daleep Singh boils down geopolitical power to a cultural issue of social likeability. Pro Tip: Russian President Vladimir Putin doesn’t care if EU leaders like him.

The leadership of the Western NATO alliance and the European Union are reduced to shouting on Twitter, ‘Help us Trump, help us’.  Meanwhile, these same leaders wonder why Vladimir Putin doesn’t take them seriously. You just cannot make this stuff up.

(more…)

With German Economy Shrinking, Government Now Organizes Mandatory Military Service

History rhyming is likely just a coincidence. Then again, if it were a coincidence, it wouldn’t be so predictable would it.

Simultaneous with the German economy contracting and Chancellor Fredrich Merz saying the expansive entitlement programs are no longer sustainable, as if on cue the German Bundestag is now promoting conscription to make their military much bigger.

The compulsory military service plan is being decided amid two options. Option #1 is compulsory service reinstated only if the Bundestag vote for it.  Option #2 is mandated military service becomes automatically law if voluntary conscription targets are missed.

This new military service requirement is coming on the heels of Germany pledging to lead the coalition of the willing on NATO spending.  Remember, CIA operations in Ukraine are based out of Germany.

GERMANY – […] Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s Cabinet on Wednesday approved a sweeping reform of military service, requiring 18-year-old men to register in a new selection system while keeping actual service voluntary.

Those who choose to sign up — typically for a half-year stint, with the option to extend up to 23 months — will be offered more generous pay and training options.

(more…)

Leaders of France, Germany and Poland Converge on Moldova to Support EU Against Russia

Moldova was always important for the goals of the EU elites against the influence of Russia. However, after Georgia rejected the EU manipulation, Moldova became even more important; very, very important.

Moldova is now the frontline battle of the EU Central Bank against pesky Russian ideological intransigence.  All your democracies are belong to us, comrade.  In the background the EU economies are beginning to quiver, led by Germany.

Meanwhile, Volodymyr Zelenskyy is worried that if Moldova gains EU membership before Ukraine, his battleground position could be compromised. ‘Hey, wait a minute, we’re no more corrupt than they are.’ Ukraine wants simultaneous attention, priority and ascension.

Moldovan President Saia Sandu squeaked a win in her election with the use of overseas ballots. The highly divided Moldovans living in Moldova didn’t support Sandu, but the mysterious Moldovans who do not live in Moldova supported her. The EU leadership doesn’t want too many people to notice that.

BRUSSELS ― The leaders of France, Germany and Poland are converging Wednesday on tiny Moldova to urge voters to keep turning away from Russia and support their country’s pro-EU government.

The Moldovan president, Maia Sandu, and her governing Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS) face a critical Sept. 28 parliamentary election amid warnings that the Kremlin is working to influence the result and derail the country’s efforts to join the EU.

(more…)

Important Information from Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent appears on Fox Business to discuss some very important current issues in the world of finance, banking and trade.

Bessent begins by answering questions about the U.S. government taking equity interests in companies that come to the U.S. for support.  Bessent then notes the potential for the Trump administration to construct a taxpayer stake in Fannie and Freddie, before the Treasury Secretary moves on to talk about the trade issues with India.  WATCH:

.

(more…)

German Chancellor Merz Says Entitlement Programs No Longer Sustainable

CTH noted several months ago, end the Marshall Plan for Europe and things will change quickly.

Germany is in a tight economic place as a result of: (1) former leftist Chancellor Olaf Scholz alignment with climate change policy, radically changing the German energy base and driving up costs; (2) the financial support for Ukraine; (3) the financial burden of mass African/ME migration, and (4) the new Trump-era EU tariffs that effectively end the Marshall Plan.

Put all four elements together and the German economic contraction is only forecast to worsen. This is the reality that current German Chanceller Fredrich Merz is facing. Thus, as a non-pretending former businessman, Merz recently told his party and the German electorate that current financial conditions no longer support the expansive entitlement state.

Pensions, benefits and even healthcare are potentially going to be impacted. Germans are not happy.

GERMANY – The German welfare state is no longer financially sustainable, Friedrich Merz said on Saturday. The chancellor argued for a fundamental reassessment of the benefits system as spending continues to soar past last year’s record of €47bn (£40bn).

In a state-level party conference meeting on Saturday, Mr Merz said: “The welfare state as we have it today can no longer be financed with what we can economically afford.”

Once the export champion of Europe, Germany’s economy has slowed dramatically since 2017, with GDP growing by only 1.6 per cent since then versus 9.5 per cent for the rest of the eurozone.

Germany’s economy shrank by 0.2 per cent last year following a 0.3 per cent dip in 2023 – the first time since the early 2000s the economy has retreated two years in a row.

Industrial production fell under the Left-leaning “traffic light” coalition of Olaf Scholz and continues to slide under the new government, with GDP declining by 0.3 per cent in the second quarter of 2025.

(more…)

Yesterday’s Oval Office Pictures Harken Back to Memories of G7 in Canada Circa 2019

The White House provides the following pictures of the Ukraine peace summit in the Oval Office.

Everything about the optics is epic.

[Original Source]

The map is also interesting.

(more…)

President Trump Hosts Media Availability During Ukraine Peace Summit with EU Leaders

President Trump holds a summit with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and various EU leaders.  At the beginning of the meeting, President Trump allowed the press pool to have access to the opening statements. WATCH:

.

(more…)